JUDE

Hey Joeboo, you're right about the self-destruct button, I hadn't quite thought about it that way - thought I was in control of the band but of course the self-destruct button is in control of me and going strong as ever. Going to have to think about that a bit more:wink2: NOt going to give myself a hard time over it though - I don't do that anymore. As to exercise, I walk the dog. Best thing ever. He has to be walked and it's pretty hard to ignore those longing looks. I eat dinner and find that it really helps my digestion if I go for a walk immediately afterwards. I find that I can walk twice as far as I could 12 months ago - the dog is fitter too! As I'm walking I try to imagine carrying two 10kg bags and a 5kg bag of potatoes around my waist and in my shorts - puts things into perspective.:grouphug: This site is good motivation. It's also a reality check for those of us, like me, who haven't beaten their demons.

Hi, this is my husband and me on New Years Eve overlooking Sydney Harbour (which is where we live). I hadn't worn this outfit for 5 years (couldn't bear to get rid of it) so I was happy and we had a great night.

Hi Sharona, I was so pleased to read your post. I'm a slow loser too but very happy with the process. I only see my doctor every few months but each time I got I've lost weight. I was banded in Oct 2007 and have lost 25kg so far. My doctor doesn't talk about goals and won't tell me how much there is in my band as he doesn't believe it's relevant. What is relevant is how comfortable I am and whether I'm losing weight. I haven't really changed my diet at all but I eat much, much less than I used to. If I'm hungry, I eat but it doesn't take much to fill me up. I still drink red wine on a regular basis which I enjoy. I didn't want to count calories or watch what I ate ever again - I'm not - and its working for me. I also didn't want to go through the whole "wow you've lost so much weight" routine either preferring for the weight to go very gradually so that it's barely noticeable. I'm very happy with the fact that I'm three dress sizes smaller than I was and I wore an outfit on New Year's Eve that I hadn't been able to fit into for five years. If I lose another 5kg this year I'll be happy - but if it's only 3kg I won't be crying in my soup! Happy New Year to everyone.

Hi there, I'm a long way past 10 days having been banded in October 2007. However I would suggest that the best way to get a good varied diet at this stage is to make yourself some homemade soup using lots of fresh vegetables, some chicken stock, and good quality olive oil. you could put some bacon in too. I would include potatoes or lentils for the carbs. When all is cooked blend so it's nice and smooth and eat that. It's a great way to fill up and shouldn't cause any issues. If you know that cutting out carbs causes problems then, don't cut them out completely. I have kept pretty much to my old diet - just eat much less than I used to. I'm prepared for my weight loss to take a long time (I'm thinking maybe three years) so I can live my life, not count calories, still drink red wine and generally be normal. It's working, I'm down 25kg and feeling good. Stick with it and start thinking about ways to work with the band. Good luck.

Thanks - I am feeling a bit better today. Going to see the Doc again next week. It would be great not to feel hungry but I'm starving more often than not just like I used to be. Maybe I need another fill. Will post again next week.

Hi, no you're absolutely not alone. I know what my problem is though - alcohol. I still like a couple of glasses of wine a night and on the days when I go a few nights without alcohol then the weight comes off so I'm under no illusions. however, reading everyone's stories does help. For instance, I'm often really hungry - no less so than I used to be. So when I go and see the doc next week I will ask for a fill. I was banded in Oct 07 and have lost 16kg so far. Started at 130kg now 114kg. +

Sorry folks - lots going on at the moment. Just re-read my post and realised how miserable and negative it sounds. I know not everyone else is in the same position so good luck to those of you who haven't been done yet and congrats to everyone who has lost heaps of weight. Better stay out of here until I'm in a better frame of mind!!!! Any bandsters in Sydney want to get together?

Hi everyone, I was banded on 6 Oct 2007. I've been one of the slow losers - partly due to poor food choices, partly to the fact that I've continued to drink alcohol. Feeling particularly down at the moment as haven't shifted an ounce for a long while. I was interested to read about the requirement of some doctors that you see a psych to find out whether you will stick to the rules. I guess if I'd done that then I wouldn't have been banded (if I'd told the truth). I'm going to see my surgeon in a fortnight and I will be making an appt with the dietician. I must say it depresses me to think that I always going to be on a restricted diet - I had it in my head that I would lose weight automatically but it isn't really the case. I wonder sometimes why the band is promoted as a solution when in fact if you're a person who didn't stick to diets well in the first place it's not really going to change anything. I predict a huge turnaround in the success rates of the band in the next five years as people who have had it done start to put the weight back on - hope I'm wrong.

Hi Nicole, don't be too worried - it's a bit scary but I can speak from 7 months experience now and it's the best thing to have happened to me. I got banded by Dr Talbot at St George Priv and all has been good. I've lost 16kg so far so not a rapid loss but I'm living my life and not setting unreasonable expectations so it's good for me. good luck with your appointment.

Sorry ladies - going to have to ask - WHAT IS A PB?????

Hi Jet, don't feel lonely or cut off. there are lots of us out there just like you. I can understand if you feel lonely if you haven't told many people that you are banded. Only my immediate family (very immediate) and two tight lipped very good friends know that I've had it done and 7 months in I'm glad that is the case. It's better for me to manage my own expectations rather than try and be what everyone else thinks I should be. Banding is not an immediate, miracle cure, so if you're a slow loser like me and a couple of others who subscribe to this site, it's a lot easier if you're managing it yourself rather than getting advice (and disapproving looks/comments) from other people who think you should be losing faster. I even get a raised eyebrow from one of my doctors but I think that's because he's used to people wanting to lose as quickly as possible and that's just not me. Go careful on the toast & vegemite - some mornings I can't eat that even now. If you're going to have it make sure you drink a cup of tea first and eat one bite and wait for it to go down before having the next one - otherwise, pain the chest and up it comes!!! Good luck with everything. Jude

Hi Rastis, I'm an October 07 girl too and I've lost around the same 15kg in total - but I'm just as happy. If it means that by October 08 I've lost say 20kg then I'll be happy with that too. I haven't dieted (at all), I haven't done any more exercise than I normally would (i.e. no formal exercise at all), I've continued to indulge in regular red wine and generally enjoy my life - what more could I ask for. I've been down the dramatic weight loss route before on at least 5 occasions, so this time the longer it takes the come off the better and I am living a realistic life style which I know I can maintain. Over the years I've wasted more $'s than I care to remember on gym memberships, the most recent being Curves, and it's time to get real about what I'm personally capable of. I think I'm doing ok. So good on you - and good on me!!!

Hi there, Congratulations to all of you fellow October 07 people. You sound as though you're doing really well. I have lost 35.2lbs in total so far since banding on 6th October (including the pre-band diet). I think I fall into the category of slow loser. However, I don't do any particular exercise, I haven't been on a 'diet' at all and I still regularly drink red wine. So, all things considered, I'm extremely happy! I am quite restricted in what I eat - just can't seem to do white bread or Pasta at all but that's no drama. I also have a problem with meat so I tend to stick to fish. When I'm out I will generally chose to eat Soups so Vietnamese and Thai food is high on the list of preferences. I think the best thing my doctor told me to do was to 'leave out breakfast'. It has really made a difference to me. I wasn't particularly hungry in the mornings but I was eating and thinking "got to get the metabollism going'. However, he maintains that that idea is something pushed by the Cereal companies that has become an urban myth over time and that it makes no difference to your metabollism whether you eat Breakfast or not, providing you only eat when you're hungry. So, I tend to eat first at 11am when I'm really ready for it, then I don't eat again until dinner at about 7pm (might have a small snack when I come in from work as well). :tongue2: It's working for me - slowly but surely. Congratulations to everyone and thanks for sharing. Jude

Hi, just read your horror story. Not sure what the procedure is in your state but you should make a complaint to the medical complaints commission (or whatever it is called). Your surgeon should not have charged you for the correction and it is his responsibility to put this right. You may well have a case for neglect given the way that you have been treated by him. I can't advise whether to keep a band or not as only had mine done in oct 07. I hope you get some resolution - even if you don't go back to your original surgeon you should still follow up on the negligence aspect. hope all goes well for you in the future. best wishes.

Hi to all the Tenacious Tens, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This time next year we'll all be comparing fabulous before and after pictures so that's something to aim for - no pressure of course!! Don't forget to take a Christmas Day 2007 photo to compare with Christmas 2008 - should be fun! Have a wonderful holiday (if you're not working) and enjoy your friends and family. Very best wishes, Jude.

Hi to all of you Aussie bandsters, Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that by next Christmas I'll be able to post some good before and after pictures so that's something to aim for. Have a safe and happy holiday time. Best wishes, Jude

Hi, need some feedback on this - I have had my first fill (last week 1.5cc) and my doctor said it would have a short term effect therefore I'm going back next week to have another fill. My concern is that I really don't feel any restriction at all. I'm beginning to wonder if it was all such a good idea ($5k out of pocket expenditure) when I'm going to have to diet still anyway - feeling very despondent about this. I was banded 6th October 2007 - I lost 10kg in the first week or so then nothing since then. Anyone else experiencing this? cheers!

Hi there - yes me too. I was banded using private insurance and was out of pocket $4k but that covers the life of the band and the fills are covered under a normal Medicare consultation fee for which I pay nothing. I'm going to put in my anaesthetist bill to Medicare and my fund today - be interesting to see how much I get back. He charged $1200. bye for now.

Hi, I had my first fill yesterday. I have the band that initially has 3cc of fluid in it when it's inserted. However I had to have that removed a few days post op as it was causing so much restriction that it meant I couldn't keep anything down and was getting a lot of reflux and coughing. So, this was effectively my first fill from a zero start - 1.5cc. The doctor said I may not feel any effect and that I need to go back in 2 weeks. There was nothing uncomfortable about the process and I feel fine today. However, I was definitely more restricted in eating breakfast today - I had half a scrambled egg and a few bites of toast and could feel that was enough so tossed the rest. It will be interesting to see how hungry I get during the day and how much I can tolerate. I'll keep you posted. thanks everyone for your good wishes. Jude

Hi there, I go for my 2nd follow up appt with Dr Talbot at St George Priv, NSW this afternoon. Will find out then whether I'm in line for a fill. Feeling a bit despondent about the whole thing some days as I frequently eat more than I know I should - however I barely feel any restriction at all but I think that is normal before you start to have fills. will let you all know how I go after this afternoon. Jude

Hi Judy, that was great info - I have been feeling quite despondent about my ability to 1) feel full 2) not feel hungry 3) stall at 10kg lost 4) put weight back on!!! Only my very close family know about the band but I feel like I'm making excuses if I explain that the weight loss will be gradual and won't really kick in for a couple of months - there expectations are high so I guess I will print off your answer to give them and myself a reality check if that's ok with you. thanks again for the information. Jude

Hi Nina, I empathise with your issue with the surgeon - I've changed doctors on a number of occasions when I haven't felt comfortable with them for one or another reason. I stopped going to one guy because he consistently kept me waiting for up to an hour and I thought it was highly inconsiderate especially as I had to get a babysitter in order to be there so I found someone else. At one time I had a female gynea who gave me the creeps for some reason - I just felt she enjoyed her work too much and she talked to me as though I was a child - stopped going to her too! Thought I'd apply a little acronym to how you might rationalise your situation - it's the GROW method: G - goal - what is your goal and why does it mean so much to you? R - reality - consider the reality and how it is affecting you? O - options - what options do you have to manage your situation? W - will - do you have the will to manage your options so that you face your reality head on but still achieve your goal? This might mean naff all to you but I find it good - it can make you take stock when you're faced with a difficult situation. Hope it helps a bit. cheers, Jude

I had my appointment on Tuesday and thought I would have a fill. However my doctor said that I'm on the right track and that as I'm still having issues with eating too quickly and with some foods, eg Pasta - that he won't give me a fill until I'm "begging for it"! He said what he meant was that if he gave me a fill now I wouldn't really notice it and that I should wait another few weeks. I'm like many of you - it's not even a full calendar month yet since I was banded but I want more results. At the same time I'm really worried that I won't be able to change my behaviour, after all that's how I got this way in the first place. The positive is that I've lost around 10kg and that happened in the first week when I barely ate a thing. If the band wasn't there I would probably have put that back on by now - but I haven't so something must be working. I do feel a bit confused at times about the whole thing - time will tell how successful I'll be but I would so love to put some of those progress pictures on here with me looking fab!!! One day cheers, Jude

Hi I was banded on 6th October and I didn't do the pre-op diet. I had the advice from a friend who had the procedure 2 years previously. My doctor didn't mention anything about whether there had been any issues because of it. cheers!

Hi Tens, I'm going for my first fill today having been banded on 6th October. I'll let you all know what happens. Jude